WSBB eBooks - Olympic Weightlifting Strength Manual
I am writing this book on the development of special strengths to help raise individual lifts, specifically the snatch and the clean and jerk. The value of the top strength has been forgotten. If strength did not matter, then there would be no need for weight classes. But, indeed, there are weight classes and the weights are always larger in the next higher weight class. Every discussion turns to technique in the classical lifts and special pulls. Great emphasis must be paid to technique in the early phases of training, hopefully, starting at age nine and up until 13-years-old. Basic specialization should occur at ages 14 to 15, specialization at ages 16 to 18, the phase of special- ization at 19 to 20, and nally, the high performance stage, beginning at 21-years-old. Whatever age, technique must be taught in the beginning. A basic long-range plan for weight lifting was used by many East Bloc countries like the German Democratic Republic (GDR), Poland, and Bulgaria, whose training